Ke Meng had different interpretations of the two men in the recording. The hoarse-voiced man was not speaking in his natural voice; his original voice had been altered.
In plain terms, his voice had been censored.
Ke Meng did not yet know whether the recorder itself had done this or something else had. He had no relevant insights.
The Atoner's voice, on the other hand, was unaltered. At least, that was Ke Meng's impression: the man's voice had not been processed.
"A Meng, tell us more." The Bandaged Man looked at Ke Meng with hope in his eyes.
The Bandaged Man would stake his word on Ke Meng having eaten more Spirit Fruit than anyone else in the bureau.
After all, Ke Meng requested Spirit Fruit from his superiors every so often. By now, he had received at least thirty.
Who would dare eat that many? The Bandaged Man, for one, certainly would not.
That meant Ke Meng's understanding of what he heard should be far deeper than everyone else's.
"Let me explain my understanding first. It might not be entirely accurate. After all, Synesthesia operates within the limits of what we can comprehend. If we can't understand something, we won't be able to interpret it no matter how much information we hear."
Ke Meng first set some ground rules so nobody would think he was all-powerful.
"When listening to the recorder's extra recording, we first need to distinguish the primary subject from the secondary one."
"You all focused on the man in charge, the one whose voice we heard as he tossed the key. Your perceptions went in a different direction from mine. I focused entirely on the Atoner."
"You mean the Atoner is the primary subject?" The Bandaged Man was puzzled. Was he? Was that really the case?